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Monday, March 30, 2009

Empanadas

The area in which Bob and I live is often called the Emerald Valley. It's gorgeous, but our achingly beautiful spring is tempered by rain and fog that can cause melancholy and produce a cabin fever that makes the pacing of caged tigers seem tame. No doubt about it, you have to learn how to deal with the weather. One tactic is to head toward Mexico for the rainy season. Another, and the one we've chosen, is to forget about it. Umbrellas, except for the most formal occasions, become excess baggage and yellow slickers or Gortex become one's armor in the war against the elements. Once the temperature hits the mid 50's we are out of here. Last week we picnicked, stream side, in the canyon of a creek that meanders, sometimes forcefully, through protected forest land. It is breathtaking. It's still too wet for campfires, so I pulled empanadas from the freezer and baked them for an alfresco feast that included mugs of tomato soup, ginger tea and damp rear ends. The empanadas are not hard to do, but they do require planning. Every country in South America has its own version of these half moon pies. Some are deep fried, some are baked. I can't get my head around deep frying what is essentially pie crust, so I bake mine. These are a bit unusual in that turkey and hominy (hulled corn with the bran and germ removed) are among the ingredients used to make the filling. I use cream sherry to boost the sweetening power of the raisins. They make a great snack and older children love them. You'll need about an hour and a half to get these puppies on the table, so plan accordingly. Don't let the ingredient list turn you off - the empanadas require a lot of readily available herbs and spices and you'll have most, if not all, of them in your pantry. They empanadas can be frozen in their unbaked state. I think you'll enjoy these. Why not give them a try?

23 comments
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Mary: Oh I agree about your beauty of where you live. I am going to make your recipe for sure. I shared my fist empanadas a few weeks ago I am trying yours next. Have fun in the rain as I shovel the drive.

Oh yum. I think the last time I made empanadas was around 1978. LOL!!! I have wanted to make them many times since and these are just proof of why I need to!! I have an award for you as well today, as a way of thanks for such a wonderful blog! http://chefbliss.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-blog-love.html

What a lovely land you live on, just beautiful. Your empanadas look so tasty, I have only tried making them once and really should do it again. I really liked them. Your choice of fillings sound so inviting.

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